^And she says no one is Asian in the movies! Between Maurissa's writing & some of the best episodes focusing on Sierra, Asians rock the Dollhouse!
Also, wasn't one of the guys holding Ballard captive the same guy that Ballard beat the shit out of in the kickboxing flashbacks in "Ghost"? (And also, isn't he Toa from NBC's recent
American Gladiators revival?)
I rate this episode above average. ("Excellent" is reserved only for the most devastating episodes of the series, like "A Spy in the House of Love," "Epitaph One," & "Belonging.")
Not enough Boyd, Sierra, or Victor for my tastes. I did enjoy Victor's absolutely perfect portrayal of Topher. (Although, I'd suspect that Topher's broad mannerisms would be a lot easier to mimic than Mr. Dominic's.) Once again, he demonstrates talent far above the baseline set by this or any other series. Here's hoping Enver Gjokaj has the great success he deserves, whether it's on
Dollhouse Season 3 or another series.
Revealing Senator Perrin as the Doll was brilliant. The ambiguities pile up, as it was the Dollhouse that "saved" Perrin from a "miserable" life as a drunken "loser." I loved the moment where he said that even if he could go back to the way he was, he wasn't sure he wanted to.
Here's a question: Did Perrin's politically connected relatives know about this? I can imagine disappointed fathers who would submit their children to this kind of abduction & alteration, all in the name of making him "better."
The Ballard/November scene was very sad. I can relate to that feeling of being in love with someone, not as they are, but as they used to be. It's hard. It seems Ballard has mostly be able to put his feelings for her behind him, but that moment where he accidentally calls her "Mellie," that says it all.
I'm kinda disappointed that Bennett wasn't a Doll. It breaks the pattern. Otherwise, every actor on the show that was a regular on a previous Whedon series turns out to be a Doll-- Eliza Dushku, Amy Acker, Alan Tudyk, Alexis Denisof. It's a fun pattern, kinda like that's the only way Joss was able to get such great performances out of his actors in the first place.
The Topher/Bennett geek love was fun, although some of it was a touch creepy.
"Imagine John Cassavettes from The Fury as a hot chick."
"Which we've often done!"
I'm hoping we get more in the subsequent episodes about Bennett's history with Caroline.
Looking forward to Alpha's reappearance next week. Now all we need is the return of Dr. Saunders & Mr. Dominic.
Oddly, as a Rossum Corp. stooge, this is still one of the least creepy roles of Ray Wise's career.
I really loved Ray Wise appearing. Who better than the devil himself. I kept getting Reaper flashbacks watching the type of personality he was using when talking with Adelle.
